Kendall downs rival Holley to earn a berth in the state Class C girls soccer tournament

By Mike Wertman, Sports Writer Posted 3 November 2026 at 9:56 pm

Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Kendall’s Jersie Drake sends the ball up field as Alyana Stevens defends for Holley during the Lady Eagles win over the rival Lady Hawks in the Section V Class C state qualifier game this evening at Cal-Mum.

Scoring twice in each half, Kendall earned a berth in the upcoming state playoffs by besting rival Holley 4-1 in the Section V Class C state qualifier this evening at Caledonia-Mumford.

Improving to 19-1, Kendall will now face Section VI Class C champion Wilson in the Far West Regional at Williamsville East at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

Kendall jumped out to a 2-0 lead as Mackenzie Cooper scored at 26:54 off a direct kick by Sophia Picardo and Jersie Drake tallied on a rebound shot at the 7:45 mark off an assist from Ryleigh Denning.

Holley did cut the deficit to 2-1 when Kyla Burne scored with just 40 seconds to go in the half off an assist from her sister Emma but the Lady Hawks could get no closer.

Kendall put a lock on the win with a quick two goal scoring burst early in the second half.

First, Picardo scored at 30:01 off assists from Denning and Hailey Ball . Then Denning tallied herself just three minutes later as Picardo earned the assist.

Holley’s Kyla Burne gets the ball past Kendall goalie Teagan Shaw for the Lady Hawks lone goal.

Teagan Shaw made 5 saves in goal for the Lady Eagles.

“It was a gritty performance against a tough Holley team,” said Kendall Coach Nino Pilato. “We came out energized in the second half and I thought we set the tempo.”

Holley finishes the season at 14-6-1.

Kendall advanced to the state qualifier by winning the Section V Class C2 championship with a 9-0 win over Fillmore.

The berth in the state finals is the first for Kendall since 2018 when the Lady Eagles captured the state Class D championship.

Holley gained a spot in the qualifier by capturing the Section V Class C1 title with a 1-0 win over top seeded Avon. The 1-0 sectional win was the third straight for the Lady Hawks.

Kendall’s Sophia Picardo drives the ball to the goal as she netted the Lady Eagles third goal. Defending for Holley is Brianna Tomasino.